How to Elevate Instant Noodles using Thai Curry Paste

Hands up if you’re a nood lover (yes, nood as in noodles)!! I know I am. Noodles are my life. I can eat noodles every day of the week and never get bored. At the same time, I need to keep things interesting so I always like to find different ways to elevate my noodles, whether it be rice noodles, pasta, egg noodles, vermicelli, or instant noodles.

One of my favourite cuisines is Thai food. The flavours, the aromatics… there are not a lot of cuisines out there with those types of rich flavours. But the good news is, it’s actually quite easy to recreate at home (with the help of Thai curry pastes of course)! Below are two easy ways to elevate your instant noodles using Thai curry pastes. I’ll be using both a massaman curry paste as well as a green curry paste.

 Massaman Curry

Massaman Curry is known for its mild heat but deep aromatic flavours coming from spices like cinnamon and cardamom. It’s a red style curry paste and pairs well with seafood and meat.

Green Curry

Green Curry uses fresh green chilis and is herbaceous with its kaffir lime leaves, fresh cilantro root, lemongrass, and galangal. It’s often used in vegetarian curries, but be sure to read the green curry paste labels because it often contains shrimp paste or other seafood pastes for its flavour.

Other traditional Thai ingredients include coconut milk, palm sugar and fish sauce. Coconut milk is often used to mellow the flavours of the intense Thai Curries, while palm sugar is used to add sweetness and colour to many savoury dishes. Palm sugar is also used in a many traditional Thai desserts. Lastly, fish sauce in Thai cooking is used for its ‘salt’ properties and it also provides a unique umami taste. You can find all of these ingredients at Asia Market in Vancouver as well as local supermarkets like T&T or Pricesmart (if you’re in Canada).

Masaman Seafood Curry Noodles

1 package instant noodles (remove and save the soup packet for something else)

2 tsp neutral oil

3-4 fresh clams, cleaned

1 lobster claw, cleaned and cooked

½ cup squid tentacles and tubes

3 snap peas, julienne

1.5 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp cut up palm sugar

1 tbsp massaman curry paste

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup broth (can be vegetable or chicken)

1 tbsp chopped cilantro as garnish

1 lime wedge as garnish

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat neutral oil, then add in massaman curry paste. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add coconut milk and broth.
2. Add palm sugar, fish sauce, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until well combined.
3. Add instant noodles, clams to the curry until they have all opened, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add squid, lobster claw, and snap peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Garnish with lime wedge and chopped cilantro.
6. Enjoy!

Vegetable Green Curry Noodles

1 package instant noodles (remove and save the soup packet for something else)

2 tsp neutral oil

5 slices of zucchini

5 slices of carrot

4 snap peas, cut up

2 pieces of baby corn

1 tbsp cut up palm sugar

1 tbsp green curry paste

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp chopped cilantro as garnish

1 lime wedge as garnish

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat neutral oil, then add in zucchini, carrot, and baby corn. Cook for 3-5 minutes until soft on the inside but still firm on the outside.
2. Add in green curry paste and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add coconut milk and broth.
3. Add palm sugar, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until well combined.
4. Add instant noodles and snap peas, cook until al dente, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Garnish with lime wedge and chopped cilantro.
6. Enjoy!

Hopefully you can see how easy that was to elevate your regular instant noodles! In less than 10 minutes, I was able to cook up a delicious Thai inspired noodle soup using authentic Thai curry pastes! If you keep the Thai staples I mentioned in your pantry at all times, you’ll be able to whip this up any time you want. ?

You can also watch the full recipe video of these two curry dishes here.

If you do give this recipe a try, comment below and let me know! Or DM me on Instagram (@eatingwithkirby). I’d love to see your creations!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Thai Trade Centre for sponsoring this blog post and for allowing me to create these recipes for you guys. All opinions are my own.